Firing-pin arrangement for breech-loading ordnance.



N0. 709,70l. I

G. EHRHARDT. FIRING PIN ARRANGEMENT FUR BREECH LOADING ORDNA-NCE.

(Application filed Apr. 3, 1902. (No Model.)

v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F974.

Patented Sept. 23, I902.

1 17113165866, a N I .MMM 3M 5 %W L, mflaw M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV EI-IRHARDT, OF EISENACH, GERMANY.

FIRING-PIN ARRANGEMENT FOR BREEC-H-LOADING ORDNANCE.

SPECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letterslatent No. 709,701, dated September 23, 1902.

Application filed April 3, 1902. Serial No. 101,279. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV EHRHARDT, director, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 11 Barfiisserstrasse, Eisenach, in the Grand Duchy of SaXe-VVeimar, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firing-Pin Arrangements for Breech-Loading Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In breech-loading ordnance hitherto employed,in which the firing-pins are mounted centrally in the breech-block, a drawback is found to be that in case the point of the firing-pin is cracked by the shock and the splinters become wedged in position, or in case the pin should remain fixed in consequence of fouling when the gun is fired, the fixed pin will penetrate directlyinto the percussioncap when the gun is loaded even before the locking of the breech is completed, and thus cause a premature ignition of the charge. The danger to the men firing the gun resulting from this premature discharge is avoided by the arrangement hereinafter described.

The firing-pin in this improved form of construction is mounted eccentrically on the breech-block, so that in consequence of the turning of the breech-block upon its axis preparatory to the opening of the breech such an alteration of position occurs that the point of the firing-pin is removed from the center of the end of the charge and away from the percussion-cap. During the closing of the breech the firing-pin remains to one side of the center of the charge until the turning of the breech-block for bringing about the final securing of the same is completed. Even if from any of the reasons hereinbefore mentioned the point of the strikingpin or splinters of the same should project from the breech-block the said point of the strikingpin or splinters thereof cannot encounter the percussion-cap before the breech is completely locked, in consequence of the eccentric position of the firing-pin, but the pin will encounter the rear wall of the chargecasing at a point away from the center. The cap can thus only be struck or encountered vhen the breech-piece is quite secured, as

only then, as already mentioned, does the firing-pin, or rather its point, coincide with the longitudinal axis of the cartridge-cham-.

berthat is to say, opposite the center of the charge. Such a screw breech-fastening is shown'in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of the breech with'the breech-block in the locked position; Fig. 2, a cross-section on the line A B of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan. view in which the closing lever is turned horizontally through about sixty degrees and the breechblock is unbolted, and Fig. 4 a cross-section on the line C D of Fig. 3.

The breech-block b, which opens to the rear, is so located in the breech-block chamber a that its central line y y stands eccentrically t0 the central line sou/10f the cartridge-chamber c. The striking-pin bearing 61 is so arranged that when the locking is effected it stands in the prolongation of the central line of the cartridge-chain her 0, Figs. 1 and 2. By the rotary movement of the breech-block b the firing-pin hearing d is turned eccentrically to the middle line 00' of the cartridgechamber.

' Fig. 4 shows how the center of the firingpin has been displaced from the center of the charge-chamber.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is l. Abreech-closing mechanism in which the breech-block is arranged eccentric of the bore and secured in operative relation thereto by an interrupted thread, and a firing-pin arranged eccentrically in the breech-block.

2. A breech-closing mechanism in which the breech-block is unlocked by a rotary movement and opened to the rear and in which the axis of the breech-block is arranged eccentrically to the bore and the firing-pin eccentrically to the breech-block, and in such relation that the firing-pin shall coincide with the axis of the bore when the breech-block is locked in operative position.

A breech-closing mechanism in which the breech-block is mounted for limited rotative and retractive movement eccentrically of the bore, and the firing-pin mounted eccentrically on the breech-block and in such relation thereto that the arc of its rotat-ive movement shall out the longitudinal axis of the bore when the breech-block is in locked position.

4. In abreech-closing mechanism, a breechblock mounted eccentrically of the bore, means for locking and unlocking the breech by a limited rotative movement, means'for retracting and advancing the breech-block, and a firing-pin arranged eccentrieally in the breech-block in such relation thereto that the pin shall coincide .with the bore when the breech-block is in thelocked position.

5. In a breech-closing mechanism, an eccentrically-arranged breech-block adapted to be &

locked and unlocked by a limited rotative movement and to be opened and closed by swinging pivotally asupon a hinge, and a firing-pin arranged eccentrically in thewbreechblock in such relation thereto thatthe arc of movement of the pin shallintersect the 1ongitudinal axis of the bore when the breechblock is in locked position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAV EHRHARDT. Witnesses:

H. WILHELM JUNIUS, JOHANNES REUTER. 

